WOHOO!

Okay so one of my MOST favorite ladies in the whole world told me she is preggers!!! And she's here in Utah!! I'm beyond happiness. Almost all my girlfriends are with child or just had one - and they are all out of state! And I've been so sad that Isabelle will not grow up near them. BUT NOW SHE WILL!!

See I can make it all about me - lol. Totally excited for you Brooke!! Now you must create a blog too (when you aren't sleeping or puking!)

And we went to the dentist today. Isabelle is not cool with dentist. Laying on my back in a dentist chair for 2 hours made us sick and very unhappy. I have a couple more appointments before she is due (getting some crowns) and I just don't know if I can muster it. We'll see.. For now we're just excited that feeling has be returned to our face and lips..

AND I'm off to my WA shower :O) A spa weekend with the famous Budwit ladies. We will be ringing in another one in true love & laughter. Can't wait to see ya'll!!

Much love - the derliously happy Jenn & Isabelle

5 Books

During the trip from Tucson to Phoenix, my dad and I got into a discussion about the 5 most influential books we've read. How we got to that conversation is a long path, but it is an interesting question - and far more difficult to answer that it would first appear. To find ONLY 5 books that changed your life - not simply 5 books that you liked..

Here is a my list...
1. Wide Sargasso Sea - for its deconstruction of a novel and analysis of a woman. And yes I did one of my thesis' on it so I do have quite alot love for it.

2. Ulysess - for its amazing first take on internal dialogue.

3. The Photoshop CS2 book for photographers - it has become my bible (thanks Annalee!)

4. Great Expectations - the book I hold dear. It's a toss up on whether I choose it for love or the effect. To me it is what literature aspires to be.

5. Orientalism - the "other".. such a profound subject. It helped me to understand my fascination with the Wicked Witch... really it did!

Of course I love a gizzlion books.. but that was not the question :-)

And Miss Isabelle has moved into a full active stage. She reacts to Thomas' voice and *loves* when I have time to lay on my side - that's soccer time!! Izzy has kicked for her Daddy, her Grandma Bell, her aunty Reggie, and her cousin Chloe. Grandpa Bell is quite anxious for his turn!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a quick note - super full & super tired.

Isabelle kicked so hard tonight she moved my belly! Thomas was able to feel a few swift kicks - a first for him! I'm so excited!!! He has been dying to feel her move and what a Thanksgiving treat :-)

Hope ya'll had a wonderful Turkey day..

Off to bed.. there are Black Friday sales to be had tomorrow!

First Toddler Photo Shoot

So I did my first toddler photo shoot today.

I can truly say the more I learn,

the more I need to learn!

Nici has a beautiful family!!

Those children would be cherubs if you could attach wings!

As usual, you can see the pics on Flickr -

I liked 50 of 250.. but from my photog buddies experience this is normal..

Isabelle had her 24 week apt. this week and is perfect!

The Doc could not be happier with all the

tests results and apparently my blood pressure is "gorgeous".

Even though I'm a tense gal, I've always had super low blood pressure.

And I've started working on my first project

for my sweet baby girl's nursery.

I saw this red cotton rag rug in my favorite

baby boutique for over 100.00!

So I'm making it for about 20.00 though it will take some hours :-)

And I bought a Moses basket used for 20.00!!

I will probably only use it for pics,

but it is a steal (another item that easily goes over 100.00)

The bedding it came with pastel yuck yuck,

so I will be sewing some new ones

with Moda's Mother Goose & Friends fabric.

And one last crafty bit..

I'm going to try to make another velvet maternity dress

for Turkey day.. We'll see if time allows tomorrow!

One Day at a Time

Man it's hard to come back from a vacation! It was such a great break from the stress of the every day. My nesting is acting up and I'm SO eager to work on the nursery.

I have been asked to do another photo shoot! A Christmas shoot with some of the most adorable cherubs I have ever seen. I'm hoping that their mom will be up for some non traditional pics. I was thinking pics of them "making cookies".. flour and chocolate stained cheeks :-) We'll see..

And my amazing hubby received a raise! He is such a great engineer!!

I've posted alot of the pics from Disney & the CA shower on Flickr.

The Baby Queen

What a wonderful weekend!

From Disneyland to the most fabulous shower :-)

It was so nice to be able to spend some time with Nicole

and trade our pregnancy experiences.

How cute is she! I love this pic!!

Too much reality to do today,

from laundry to work.. so sad.

I will post more pics of our vacation and my thoughtful gifts soon!

Just Another Day at Disney

This is my pic of the day (It was taken by my mum)

This has been too much fun.

There has been zero crowd and awesome (overcast) weather.

I am super tired, but this is exactly

the trip I needed to reboost my morale :-)

And my darling Isabelle loves to dance in my belly

when music is playing or when I'm dancing!

And yes since I'm in the last month of my

second trimester, I had my roots dyed!

Thank God! So tired of the sad grey..
And I have my bangs back..

can't stand that 5 finger forehead of mine..

Hopes Izzy doesn't inherit it! :-)

Happy Birthday Day to Me!

Just a quick note.. I am super tired!

Had an awesome day - one of the best birthdays!!

Above is my favorite snap of the day..

don't know how I managed it, that ride was FAST!

Thanks to all that remembered my birthday.

It has been a difficult month,

and that extra consideration is hugely appreciated!!

Off to bed.. there is more Disney fun to be had!!

P.S. Isabelle LOVED the haunted mansion

Let's get this party started!

Woohoo! We're off to Disneyland to celebrate my

big 29th & for my first baby shower.

I will load pics of course when I return.

And special shout out to Brooke. Thanks for being such an awesome friend!!

My 2nd Shoot

So this was my 2nd real photo shoot (the first was self-portraits of Thomas & I). I am pretty happy with alot of the photos. My friends are super photogenic so that helps :-)
Still need to learn how to deal with shadows.. grr

You can see most of the shoot on my Flickr account.

In Need of Recharge

Arr! I was all set to take pics of us last night before we left for the gala. After dealing with some flash fill issues, my camera battery died. I knew it was low, but it seriously went from 1 bar to squat in a matter of minutes. My car has a nasty habit of that as well.. So no pics from last night... but we did have a great time!

I am doing my first photo shoot for someone other than family today! I will be taking our friend's (Brooke & Tom) Christmas pictures. And of course we'll be including their wild dog Bubba! Batteries are recharged and rearing to go :-)

If they are okay with it, I will make their pics viewable on Flickr.

Gala

Thomas & I are off tomorrow to Junior League's Black & White Night Gala. I am now an official SLC Junior League member and will soon be working on the Special Events committee.

We've been looking forward to this event all week! It's been awhile since we had a reason to dress up. And since I hate most of the maternity dresses for sale, I decided to sew my own. I did the pattern on the far right in a dark green stretch velvet. It is so comfy!!

And yesterday officially started my "birthday week"! I can't wait to get to Disneyland and enjoy my first baby shower :-)

Of course I'll post pics of the dress and trip later this week.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! Hope ya'll had a fun night!

We had nonstop trick-or-treaters for about 2 hours,

I thought for sure Thomas was going to have to run to Walgreen's for more candy!

Here is a slightly Photoshoped pic of our pumpkins.

Can I tell you, it is SO hard to get a good image of lit pumpkins :-)

Now that the after Halloween sales are on,

I've bought Isabelle the following outfits for next year and photo shoots:

fairy, chick, Snow White, skunk, and lamb!

I'm thinking I will be Bo-Peep (G-rated of course) and Isabelle will be a lamb.

Maybe we'll make Thomas a non scary wolf... we'll see

Fall Shoot

Thomas and I had such a wonderful Saturday. We drove through Big Cottonwood Canyon and circled around down to the Sundance Resort. I was able to capture some awesome pics. Granted there were alot of deleted images as well :-) So now we have to decide on an image and I'll do a touch of PS2..

I don't think I gave my flickr account out here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenniferbelle/

I don't post ALL my photos, just little peeks :-)

And I'm excited I've mastered my tripod and remote control.. now if I only had a huge mirror near the camera...

Photocards

For a long time I have not held photocards in high regard. They seemed too "easy" and went against why I started my business. I love texture.. It's interesting though, now that I'm taking pictures all the time and trying new PS2 techniques almost every night, I have more appreciation for the the creation of photocards.

Utahans LOVE photocards. This is partly why BP hasn't been too embraced yet.. we're too pricey for this state. So.. I will be releasing a line of Photocards (save-the-dates, wedding invites, and baby announcements) at this Jan. Expo. We'll see... It's not any extra investment on my end, and I'm having a ball playing with PS2 and my new computer easel..



I've attached a "postage stamp" of Shilo.. The technique here was for me to learn how to do a scalloped border.. It's not perfect, but it was my first!

And if I can get "THE" picture of Thomas & I on our fall drive to Sundance this afternoon. Then you will receive a Thanksgiving photocard designed by moi...
because this year we are so truly thankful!

For the Love of Photoshop

This is my first "storyboard". It probably wasn't the best idea to make my mat white since the text field for Blogger is white.. but you get the idea.

Again no awards will be won :-)

But the fact that I "get" things now about PS2..

priceless

In my 5th month

This is me from this morning. And yes that is snow!

We had a mini snow storm.. it's all melted now.

So I'm starting my 2nd week of my 5th month!

I can't believe I only have 7 weeks

left of my 2nd trimester!

Things are going so quick.

Isabelle has been plenty active and popped out alot this week.

My belly button is super expanded! I've never so much of it before :-)

I have tons to get done today, but I will post more soon.

We are slightly changing the nursery..

I will post fabric swatches & inspiration pieces soon.

Red, white, and blue are still the main parts though...

THE BIG NEWS!!

come on ya'll.. isn't momma always right??

IT'S A GIRL!

O Happy Day!

Dewey is back home with us. He got into something (not sure if it was before or during his stay here). He is still have some lasting effects, but it looks as though he's gonna pull through. I'll spare you the gorey details :-)

And in just 2 days we get the news on the baby!!! I can hardly contain myself :-) My mom & dad flew down this evening and are just as eager.

Thomas says my belly looks like a basketball, but I think watermelon.. we soon shall see!

Tried and True

I know this technique is SO overdone, but I have never mastered it on Photoshop. So please accept my apologies :-)

This is a pic of part of our Halloween display in the front yard. I went a tad overboard this year..

We haven't even bought the pumpkins that we are to carve.. these seen here are to remain untouched for display. I'm a nut..

Knock Knock

A few days ago I thought I feel the baby's first movement, but I wasn't too sure. According to my doc, this is very typical at my stage and reassured me that I would feel the baby very soon.

Well.. Aparently baby was as excited as I was that Thomas was returning home on Saturday from his elk trip (no elk..boohiss)

In the middle of a fundraising gig for Junior League, I feel a tap,tap,tap.. tap,tap,tap.. This went on for what seemed like a long time. Folks, baby has made his/her debut!!

It's been quiet today, but I didn't feel much till around 5pm yesterday.. so maybe baby is a late riser!!

On sad news, my adorable butter of joy foster cat Dewey is going down hill. I'm taking him in tonight & tomorrow to the vet. Please keep positive thoughts his way. He is pure love and deserves a long happy life!!!

1 More Photo

So this is my adorable niece! I took this photo with my old point & shoot, but I think it's fun. I did some editing with Photoshop for fun!

18 Week Visit

Baby & I went in for our monthly appointment. Everything is great! Doctor confirmed that everything is perfect. And the baby has moved further up into my tummy :) Such a wonderful sound to hear the heartbeat!!

And a week from today we will find out the sex!! I can't wait!!!!

On the photo side I've started doing photo challenges to increase my knowledge. Below is a pic of Shilo out side on Automatic and on Manual (and I didn't cheat!) I think I did pretty good :)

And here is one for humor.. It's one of the only things that really grew in my garden..

Our Foster Cat - Dewey

I took this pic about an hour ago for the animal shelter I volunteer for. He is our foster cat (the 4th cat in the house.. the 6th of animals!) If he wasn't afraid of dogs, I'd beg Thomas to let us keep him. He is beyond sweet and loving!!

Still working on automatic settings..Still learning. I did take the time to Photoshop his eye boogies out. Still learning CS2..

First Nikon Photo

Okay, so I'm not going to win any awards with the very first photo I took with my Nikon. But somehow I did capture the very essence of our dear Shilo. Our goofy all muzzle beast.

How awesome it is to be able to play with depth of field!!

Do I Offend Thee?

Back in the day I was no stranger to extremely short skirts and little left to the imagination tops. Um, but it's no longer "back in the day". Since we found out that we are pregnant, my look has grown more conserative. Still cute, but covered up.

It hasn't been intentional. There is just something about my blossoming belly and enlarged chest that has calmed me down. I haven't said too much cause it's not too mommy-like to mention, but my chest is alot bigger (people I'm on my way to my 2nd cup increase and just starting my 5th month) I'm not bragging and given my more conserative move.. it hasn't been easy.

SO! Imagine my surprise when today a patron basically called me a harlot!! I was wearing maternity cords and a matching SWEATER set that my dear mom bought me. This patron told me I was "hanging out" and she could see everything. While she insisted I help her, she obviously stared at the ceiling..too appalled to look me in the eye.

I don't get it. And given my hormones, it put me into a state of tears.. still tears me up right now. I wasn't hanging out and the idea that someone would think I would dress salicious as a mother-to-be was a swift kick to the tummy.

Oh well. I asked God for big tata's when I was younger. Never have I regretted a wish more!

My Nikon, My Love

I did it. I finally bought it! Basically, I needed a camera to take my own product photography (spent a fortune last year) and I want to take my own baby photos ( I imagine I would have otherwise spent a fortune)

So I spent a mini-fortune and have outfitted myself with a brand spakin' new Nikon D80 with 2 mini-fortune lenses and everything else I "needed". It took 3 hours to get everything.. I think it was a salesman technique to wear me down! But I had done research for weeks now and needed some instant gratification!

Had a little buyer's remorse last night. That was until my battery powered up.. and then it began. Since Thomas is out elk hunting for the week, the animals were my defenseless prey. I LOVE MY CAMERA!!! It is amazing! Until I have time for the classes my camera came with, I'm all about pre-set settings, but I'm looking forward to learning all about it.

And yes I will post more pics (even of my belly now that I have a remote control to work my camera!) I just had work last night & work all day today.. so once the software is setup, you will be overwhelmed!

Long live Nikon!

Saying Goodbye

This has been a sad weekend. I haven't said too much to anybody as I've been trying to keep this blog as positive as possible. Unfortunately my paternal grandfather died yesterday.

My heart goes out to my dad as I know this is a difficult time. And I'm sorry to know that my grandfather is gone, and all that should have been said and all the hurts that should have been mended will never be able to.

Soon after my grandfather divorced my paternal grandmother, he entered another marriage and had little to do with his 5 children and their families. I can probably count the number of times I've seen and conversed with him on one hand. He wasn't at my brother's nor my wedding.

I'm not angry. Just sad and disappointed. Just wished my father had the father he deserved. It's ironic that my grandfather passed just a few months shy of our baby's birth. Granted I don't know if they would have ever met, but it would have been nice.

People are who they are. Somehow in all that mess, my dad became one of the most amazing people I know & I know that he'll be the light of our baby's life. And for that I am appreciative of my grandfather.

Red, White and Blue!

I can not wait till October 19th! At this point, we can truly say we are not wishing for one sex over the other. Just so happy to have a healthy baby. I am just so excited to know if I'm carrying Isabelle Clara or Thomas Daniel Lee!!

If it is little Isabelle, then we will be decorating the nursery in vintage redwork. Redwork dates back from the late 1800's and was very popular at the turn of the century. It is embroidery that is done solely in red. My mom has been working on a beautiful redwork quilt just in case! And of course we'll add in some country denim.

If it is little Tommy rumbling in my tummy, then the nursery will be vintage again - only vintage cowboys & indians. Lots of toned down red, white, and blue. And of course a vintage Red Rider gun that will sit on a shelf till he's at least 5 :-)

So either way it's gonna be a lot of vintage red, white, blue!! Not exactly typical colors, but we aren't exactly typical parents ;-)

I can't wait to start decorating!!!!!

Tahoe

Thomas & I were able to go on one of the last of our getaways before the baby is born. We & my folks spent a very relaxing week up in Lake Tahoe. Amazingly, this pic I took doesn't even do it justice. So beautiful! And the irony is the last time my parents were there, my mom was very pregnant with me!

Thomas & my dad golfed for most of the week. I'm so happy Thomas had time to do that. Back home there is always so much to do! While the boys played, my & mom and I gambled in the only smoke-free casion (how awesome is that!) And I won about $300!! Aparently baby is lucky :-)

And of course no Rodriguez/Bell vacation would be complete without a fishing tour. I was so worried that I would spend the morning upchucking off the side of our little speedboat, but I didn't! Granted I didn't feel awesome, but I was still able to fish :-)

It's great to be home with all the animals. Unfortunately it seems as though having a baby is just as emotion stirring as planning a wedding. I'm doing everything I can to not be involved in it. It's just very sad that not everyone gets how hard this baby was to conveice and what a blessing it is. So be prepared I'm a little sensitive this week. Family.. gotta love it!

14 Week Doctor Visit

It appears everything is fabulous. That is a recent pic of me in my 4th month! My weight & belly are exactly where they should be. My sea-sickness is supposed to be fading (for the most part it has). Thomas & I were able to hear the hearbeat again. Music to my ears! I never get tired of hearing that beautiful beat :-) Thomas just about passed out when we got the details on the cost for the doc for the delivery.. oh my!

We will have our 18 week apt in mid-October.. and the great reveal of the baby sex on October 19th!! Let's hope our baby isn't being modest that day!!

All is wonderful what can I say? My back hurts in the evening, but my energy level is higher than it had been for some time. And my nesting is in full bloom. Poor Thomas is growing weary of his "honeydew" list :-)

I've been placed on a lifting restriction of 25# It is more for the health of my back, it doesn't hurt baby if I lift. And anything I can do to reduce back pain sounds great to me!

And that's about all the news I have. Soon, soon Karen will deliver Quinn!!! Hooray!!! Can't wait to see pics of Chica's baby!

And A BIG Happy Birthday to Lil' Pete! He is celebrating his first tomorrow!!!

2nd Trimester, here we come!

I can not believe I'm already in the second trimester! This baby has also developed a quirky sense of humor already... I only get sick when it is the absolute worst time to be sick ( on my way to work, at work, in crowds, in places where bathrooms are no where to be seen). Hilarious baby :-)

I am getting more energy and feeling more motivated these days. I just hope this queasiness will subside soon!

We have our 14 week apt. this Friday. I'll let you know if we find out any juicy news. I think it's just going to be a pee & blood test day though..

And I've given up normal clothes. I did the belly band thing and it put way too much pressure on my bladder... not exactly comfortable. So I guess I will live in regular sized dresses and maternity pants for now :-)

Oh! And people are starting to realize on the their own.. I'm not fat, I'm creating life :-)

Showers!

Well, aren't I the spoiled one? I am having 4 baby showers! Of course ya'll will receive some lovely invites, but here are the dates in case you are one that plans way in advance!

November 10th - Southern CA shower
January 5th - Phoenix shower
December (first weekend) - Washington
February - Utah

Most of you live in one of those cities/states. If you don't or can't attend one, let me know your preference.

Feeling better today! Had my first water aerobics class. Loved it! It was SO nice to get out do something physical!!

Pregnancy Gods

The pregnancy Gods tricked me. I was so close to being out of my first trimester without major illness. Sure I didn't feel great most nights and the shots aren't fun, but to only have 1 Exorcist moment seemed like Heaven.

It was a trick. A mean trick. My second day on the job and one would have thought I have the Ebola virus. After 2 changes of clothes & installing a barf bucket in the car, I am wondering if Thomas can carry the next child...

Ugh. I'm starving and the thought of food makes me ill.

Is it too early to celebrate Mother's Day? This woman deserves a party!

All is Well

As many of you already know, our baby is healthy & strong. Our u/s showed the baby has a very strong heartbeat and is growing right on schedule. I'm actually a couple days further than the baby ticker.

During the physical exam the doctor discovered that my pelvic bones are very close set. Unless something really changes in the next months, our baby will have to be delivered via c-section. It wasn't the birth I had anticipated, but I am coming round to the idea.

We have another appointment in a little less than 4 weeks & we will find out the sex in November. What a great birthday gift for me!

I was finally given the "ok" to excercise! I will start my water aerobics next week and will be walking the dogs for about an hour a day (mainly to discourage their escapist tendencies!)

Had a great time catching up with friends in Arizona & hosting Karen's shower. Once I have time to load my pics on my computer, I will add them to the blog.

Oh.. and I had my first (and hopefully last) Exorcist moment yesterday morning. Aparently brushing my teeth on an empty stomach is bad, bad,bad.

Counting the hours

Happy birthday to the big papa!

We can hardly wait for our first appointment! I am SO excited to the heartbeat(s)!!! I'm trying to be calm; it's possible it's still too early to hear it.

But I CAN'T WAIT!

And I seriously am getting huge.. As Bobbi has suggested, I will start posting pics.. Probably just monthly ones :-)

Showing Already??

I'm moving right along in my 8th week of pregger-hood. All is pretty much well. No Exorcist moments and from what I have read, if I haven't had them.. I won't! Hooray! Just every once in awhile I feel sea-sick.. But totally hungry all the time! Imagine that :-) So I haven't lost weight in my first trimester as lots of others do to sickness. I'm keeping it in line. I've gained about 4#'s.. which is pretty much on target with current recommendations..

But here's the thing. I've been this +4 maybe for the past week and a half.. and yesterday my body looks totally different! I'm already showing!!! Maybe if you saw me you wouldn't think so, but in a bikini.. totally..

It's SUPER early to be showing. I read most women don't show till 'round week 14.. Is it twins???

Twins will delight me, triplets will frighten me!! Twins runs in both of our families & the Clomid gives you a 10% increased chance of twins..

I'll let you know if in 2 weeks we hear heartbeat(s) :-)

Did You Have Your Baby Yet?

We get along pretty well with one set of neighbors (I do think they might be polygies though..) They have 2 little boys that were pretty sad when the previous owners of our house moved because they had 2 kids they would play with. And of course we have this fantastic playground in the backyard that the old owners left. It's rare a month will go by when one of the boys won't ask if they can go back there & play. We always say they can, but they haven't yet.

Well we told our neighbors (the Foxes) that we are expecting and they must have told their sons. Now the favorite question is if I've had my baby yet. I'm thinking that baby=playmate=access to playground... They are in for a long wait on that one! :-)

Rules, rules, and then more rules

Once I think I figured out all the ins & outs of what is good & bad for the baby.. I find more!

I was always under the belief that hair color is a huge nono when you're preggers. Now I've read that is 'okay' after the first trimester. I'm not vain, but my hair is seriously going grey quick!!! But I'm not sure I want to trade my Bride of Frankenstein look if it could harm the baby. So, I've read about this all natural Henna treatment. I'm all about it! I will wait till the 13th week just in case...

And I knew you couldn't have non pasteurized cheeses (Brie, feta, etc) Turns out you can't have deli meat or hot dogs either for the same reason. Listeria (sp?) is known to cause miscarriages.. So good thing those aren't cravings!

Past couple days I was super nauseous, but today is better. I have totally lost my taste for sweet things.. no ice cream for awhile please! It's all about the salty these days. Just what I need, help in the water retention department!

And the strange-o dreams have started. Granted before baby my dreams have always erred on odd... but they are at a new level now!

Looking forward to hosting Karen's baby shower next month. It has been so great to be preggers at the same time of so many of my friends. I can't wait for a get together next year. Forget the keggers and bring out the hooter hiders! :-)

Just Plane Fun

I had my first airplane adventure since news of the baby. Something strange ALWAYS happens to me on my flights (ie. see blog below.. and ask me about the sandwich thief if you ever need a laugh)

I'm happy to report that aside from the fact I had to drive myself to the airport because hubby was hung over (you see what I'm driving him to!), it was uneventful. There was no huge tadoo with my Lovenox syringes in my checked baggage. My hands were clenched the whole flight... what if my bag was delayed or worse lost?? But nope baggage arrived and medication in tact!

I happily devoured my honey peanuts and read pregnancy mags. And even scored an Emergency seat - bonus extra leg room to keep my blood moving (but really who would want pregzilla to help with an air emergency??)

Aside from the teenage couple to my right that seemed trying to join a certain flight club (ugh.. people really.. ) it was fine.

Could baby be my flight charm? Has he/she broken the curse??

Well there still is the flight home :-)

Driving Miss Jennifer

I love road trips. I prefer them to planes. There's no security, no kicking of my seat, or theft of my food (seriously, it happened)

The doc has yanked all driving trips for now! Aparently with my blood condition & medication it is still too dangerous for baby & I to be confined in the sitting position for too long. So I will not be able to come down with Thomas to AZ to celebrate his birthday. The drive to Kingman was out of the question. Even if I flew to Phoenix and we drove to Prescott.. still too far. So do me a favor & if you see Thomas, show him an extra fun time!

According to the books, the baby's little heartbeat should have started!!!! I can't wait for our 10 week visit to the doc!

** And the latest craving is peanut butter & toast.. yumm-o!

Weepy or Sleepy

Have I already entered into pregzilla? Everything either seems to make me cry, create mass fustration, or make me super happy. There has been no even keel these past 2 days. I'm hoping I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping my normal cat hours (12 hours people!)

So if I seem crazy or emotional, well I am. I should invest in some body armor for Thomas :-)

Crackers over baby

Okay I know that I'm just in the early stages, but I was hoping that my lack of morning sickness would continue. I can handle my shots, I can not handle upchucking on a regular basis. Alas, we do not get to choose our symptoms..

So saltine crackers have become my new best friend! I haven't had an Exorcist moment yet, but the nagging nausea is increasing..

And I bought "The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy" at a friend's recommendation. Hilarious! I only got through the first couple of chapters before my sleepiness took over.

More Firsts

Baby Rodriguez's first gift actually came just days before we knew we were pregnant. My folks had wanted to buy "new baby" a gift when they visited Yellowstone with my brother & his family. My neice was given the honor of choosing the gift; she chose a very soft black bear (we hear it almost didn't make it here...) In the end my neice was thrilled to give us "new baby's" first gift ever :-)

And I went on my first shopping trip for baby today. Yes I know, it's early. However, I love deals and love the idea of spreading out some of cost before it all hits. Thanks to my super shopper pal Karen, I started to stock up on baby food. It doesn't expire till '09! Thank goodness for our food cellar/wine cellar. And I bought a box of diapers. I'm hoping to buy a box every week in varied sizes.. that way it won't hurt the budget so much next spring!! And I bought some work acceptable maternity clothes that were on clearance. So cute! And I think I can alter them after baby to fit me again.

When I was checking out of Target, the cashier told me she would never in a million years guess I was preggers. I laughed and told her I'm just an early bird preparing. I'm thankful my obsession with ice cream isn't showing!!!

First Signs

* I'm tired ALL the time. I go to bed around 9pm and wake up around 9am and usually take an hour nap. This could also be worse because I've dropped 99% of the caffeine in my diet

* My tatas are killing me! Although I am sleepy, I am forced to find new positions

* I sweetly demand ice cream just about every night. Thomas thinks this is a "fake" craving.. but he eats it with me!

* Midnight potty runs! I never tinkle at night, and now I'm up at least once...This too could be linked to my increased amount of H20 and milk..

Fun stuff! I'm loving every minute!

How we found out..

We visited my family in Washington for the 4th of July. As everyone was eager to know if this was THE month, I took a few preggers tests way too early. The tests showed a very light positive.

It seemed too good to be true, so we waited. A day after coming back home I took a digital test, and much to our happiness it simply stated "Pregnant". Such an amazing word, a word we have waited for much longer than we had dreamed of.

After test upon test and many months of disapointment, we were blessed with a baby. But this was only the first step. I have a blood clotting issue that sadly places us in the high risk group. I daily inject a blood thinner into my belly and pray that everything will be okay.

We tried to hold the news in. We didn't want to get too excited and spread the news for fear of a miscarriage. But that isn't the way we wanted to start Baby Rodriguez's journey - scared. So yes the chance is there, but our thoughts are focused on the joy we have been given and preparing for the new chapter in our happy marriage!

We are due St. Patty's day!